(SPRINGFIELD, Oct. 4, 2007) – Mayor Charles V. Ryan announced today that the Springfield Media and Telecommunications Group will provide $2 million to build a state-of-the-art, high speed internet network, which will be called “Spring Net.” The network will link all city departments through a broadband wide area network that will provide high quality, high capacity data transmission.
Public safety will take top priority. The first service of Spring Net will be the deployment of surveillance cameras in downtown areas and some neighborhoods. Some 10 to 15 cameras are expected to be installed in the central business district within the next four months. Cameras already operating in that area will be integrated into the new system. Within a year, an additional 40 cameras will be installed in locations throughout the city, yet to be determined.
After the first of the Year, the group will implement a gun shot detection system, which will cover approximately two square miles of ˝ square mile sections of the city. The gun shot detectors will provide police with the specific location of where shots have been fired. The system will make the determination and send the message within 15 seconds of the shots.
In the spring, Spring Net will deploy wireless access to police cruisers and other city vehicles, providing high-speed access to the vehicles and replacing the slower and more expensive current service.
Spring Net will also provide access to the various data systems used by city inspectors while they are in the field. Currently, inspectors download their findings at the day’s end after returning from the field. Under the new plan, they will have instant laptop access, speeding up the inspection process by as much as a day.
Spring Net will connect City Hall, Police and Fire headquarters, School Department, DPW, Emergency Preparedness, Parks Department and others. A network management infrastructure will be implemented to allow centralized remote and management capabilities. The project is expected to be complete by September 2008.
Springfield Media and Telecommunications Group is a not-for-profit organization that provides grants for the education, cultural, economic development and community-building activities to benefit the citizens of Springfield.
Bill Seretta of WhatIf Networks will manage and direct the project. WHATIF NETWORKS LLC, 48 Free St. Portland, ME, specializes in the design, development, hosting and management of Web based collaboration systems, Learning Portals, customized ERP systems and wireless networks for education and government. WIN has over 300 customers in the US, UK, Italy and Japan. Seretta, president of WhatIf Networks, recently completed overseeing the designing and installation of a combination wireless broadband network and virtual campus for American International College.
